SURKHET: The Karnali Province government has presented a budget of Rs 33.74 billion for the fiscal year 2020/21. Unveiling the budget, Economic Affairs and Planning Minister of the Province Prakash Jwala said that the budget has special policies and programs to combat the COVID-19 outbreak and creating employment in the Province.
The government has decided to operate a fund of Rs 1.50 billion for COVID-19 control programs to fight against the deadly pandemic facing the country including the Province. The budget has reduced various expenditures realizing the crisis caused by the pandemic. Of the total budget, 57 percent is allocated towards capital expenditure, 34 percent towards current and nine percent towards fiscal transfer. The budget has reduced different heading of allowances.
The size of the Province’s upcoming year’s budget is less by Rs 600 million against the current fiscal year and has focused on making it effective in generating employment and reducing unnecessary allowances.
The government has announced to provide Rs 100,000 to a family of COVID-19 victims in the Province. The new budget has focused on strengthening the health sector with a new kind of infrastructure development. It has aimed to upgrade Province hospital to 300-bed teaching hospital, establishing a trauma center at Rakam of Dailekh, operating mobile health service and telemedicine services in different places in the Province.
Nine percent of the total budget is allocated in the health sector. It has further managed 100 percent allowances to health workers and doctors involved in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similarly, it has allocated 20 percent budget in generating employment with the slogan to make ‘own village-self-reliant’. It has continued the chief minister employment program targeting returnee migrant workers. The budget continues infrastructure development programs running since the previous budget. RSS
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